MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Thursday signed into law sweeping changes to sentencing and probation standards aimed at relieving severe overcrowding in the state prison system.
Alabama’s prison problems weren’t created overnight, state officials cautioned, and there is still much work to be done. But they praised the changes as a step forward.
“With the passage of SB67, Alabama has taken a significant step forward to address reform of Alabama’s criminal justice system,” Bentley said in a statement.
Alabama prisons house nearly twice the number of inmates they were originally designed to hold, a crowding level that has been called both dangerous and one that puts the state in danger of federal intervention.
The changes seek to gradually reduce crowding by steering low-level offenders away from prison with the creation of a new Class D felony category and to reduce recidivism with making changes to probation and supervision.
The legislation was the product of a prison reform task force and crafted in conjunction with the Council of State Governments.
“I believe that we have passed historic changes for our state that will be a building block for future changes in our corrections system. We still have a long way to go, but I applaud the political courage in taking this first step to smarter criminal justice system,” said Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster. Ward chaired the task force.
Ward said the state needed to address the issue before the federal courts forced its own solution on Alabama.
The Alabama prison system was placed in federal receivership in the 1970s, which led to a court-ordered release of inmates.
The state prison system has been in an unfavorable spotlight again in recent years because of overcrowding, low staffing levels and violence.
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating conditions at the state’s only prison for women after accusing the state of failing to protect inmates from sexual abuse and harassment. State inmates sued the state last year over medical care. Four inmates were killed in a 14-month period at St. Clair Correctional Facility in Springville. The facility was placed on lockdown last month because of a riot.
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